Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony seeks ownership of new NASL team in Puerto Rico

New York Knicks’ forward Carmelo Anthony is looking to get into the soccer business — as an owner of a professional club.

EoS has learned Anthony is seeking an ownership role in the North American Soccer League, targeting the creation of a new side based out of Puerto Rico.

The NASL is certainly familiar with the market. The Puerto Rico Islanders featured in the league for two seasons before the club suspended operations in 2012 due to ownership and fiscal issues.

Anthony, who’s mother is Puerto Rican, is looking to revive the lost soccer market — but not necessarily under the Islanders banner. The 31-year-old Brooklyn native visited Puerto Rico in early May to scope out the landscape, investigate potential stadium sites and to speak to local politicians about the interest and possibility for a new pro soccer team. He has since been in constant contact with the NASL, which has longed to find the right partners to bring back their unique Puerto Rican market.

Talks between Anthony and the NASL have quietly been going on for months. Still, the resurrection of Puerto Rico is in the infancy stages, with no word on other potential ownership partners joining the Brooklyn native as of this report.

Currently Anthony is traveling with the Cosmos as a “guest of the league” to witness New York’s historic match against Cuba in Havana. He departed New York Sunday evening and is expected to remain in Cuba through Wednesday.

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Why doesn’t this tool get together with celebrity billionaires and buy red bull. Didn’t Curtis Martin and blazer wanted to bring soccer to ny with the cosmos group,but I guess things fell down and it didn’t happen.
If you ask me, garber probably will ask red bull to rebrand due to the FIFA scandal.
Isn’t naming a soccer team after a company against FIFA rules and basically red bull is doing wrong by monopolizing their business by marketing anywhere they play by having their team name red bull, am I right. I’m a not a business lawyer but garber is going to come up with something.

Ulrich

Ugh, no. Red Bull owns the team and they have chosen to sponsor themselves; it’s their choice whether to pull money in from a separate corporate sponsor for use of that space or to give it to themselves gratis (although I’m sure the corporate marketing dept pays the team a sizable sponsorship – it makes sense for accounting reasons and league rules). Red Bull has two teams operating this way, in the Austrian Bundesliga and MLS, and FIFA hasn’t batted an eye.

It’s also no different than VFL Wolfsburg being owned by Volkswagen and being sponsored by Volkswagen.

jor

Or Bayer Leverkusen. Could be grandfathered in, though.

slowleftarm

You’re right about one thing – you are not a business lawyer.

5 Boroughs SC

Melo would be better served by saving his money. NASL is a sinking ship. USL might be the way to go.

CosmosFan

Interesting take 5 Boroughs SC. According to what?

Final whistle

NASL won’t sink until garber grows some balls and raises the salary cap and brings free agency, oh and creates an MLS2.
We can not forget MLS has a business man as the league boss, not a soccer person.
As long as garber is in charge of MLS, NASL won’t die.
Have we ever heard of garber saying, I want an MLS2 for the fans and markets that believe in soccer and MLS, never and that’s when NASL comes in and creates a strong d2.
There’s USL which is a farm league for MLS but not a serious d2.
If MLS reaches 28 teams, then there will 28 reserve teams, so garber is saying that USL will have close to 50 teams once an MLS teams have a reserve team.
Crazy numbers for USL and bad image for USL wanting to be a D2 with almost 50 teams in the next 3 years

slowleftarm

Why is it bad to have 50 teams in D3? A lot of countries in Europe have lots of D3 teams playing in regional leagues.

Hydrahamster

But there is no promotion and relegation, plus there will be more reserves than independent clubs. MLS is very selfish and greedy while the USL is a push over.

slowleftarm

So? Personally I’m in favor of pro/rel but there are hundreds of minor league baseball teams and they’re doing pretty well and have been for well over 100 years. Selfish? MLS is a for profit business that does what’s in its best interest like any other soccer league on the planet.

Tim D.

Damn, I think Don Garber has done one hell of a job as Commisioner. What’s the problem? ?

Tommi

NASL won’t sink, they’re a stable and strong D2 and with attendance rising again this year they’ll be fine.PR deserves an independant pro club not an affiliate for mls’s minor farm team league the usl.

Hydrahamster

That more wishful thinking on your behalf since their is no proof behind your statement.

good idea , puerto rico has a good soccer community there. Attracts 10000 to 15000 fans per game, with a few dp players , especially with a good ownership…i see great things in puerto rico in soccer. In the future.

Would be great to have Puerto Rico back in the NASL and with Melo an owner. The Islanders always had competitive teams that played an exciting style of soccer. Juan Ramon Lubriel Stadium was reno’d in 2012 and would be a natural for a Melo owned NASL return for PR.

Joe

Have you heard about the last US cup scores between the NASL and the USL. the USL will be division2 next year and the NASL will struggle going forward.

Why does it make you so happy Joe that MLS will monopolize domestic soccer?

HydraHamster

Will? They “are” monopolizing domestic soccer and what’s worse is that the USSF is the cause of it happening. It is sad that we have people calling themselves soccer fans going out and rooting for something that’s against traditional soccer and wishing something that’s FOR the growth of American soccer to struggle and fall. The USSF has always been a federation out to create a league using inexperienced rich people with no ounce of passion to run our first division domestic leagues. Because of that, we always had other leagues within the USSF clashing with the first division. Nothing hasn’t changed since the USSF started and it is likely to continue until a miracle happens. MLS is just the cherry on top of a poorly baked cupcake called the USSF.

Tommi

A handfull of Usl victories over NASL clubs in US Open cup hardly means much, 3 of those matches could have gone either way as well. NASL had the better record last year in US Open cup and a good run vs MLS teams as well last year. Enjoy this years blip in the usoc cause NASL will have the upper hand again next year.

Usl will not be D2 next year either, not sure where your getting your info from but its a fantasy. They may be in 2017 but they may not be either. They fit in fine as a D3 minor farm team league for MLS and thats where they belong IMHO. D2 should be for an independant pro league like NASL not affiliate or farm team league like Usl.

OpenCupFan

NASL got humiliated by USL. Complete humiliation.

Evidently a couple of the teams didn’t use their starters. Mind numbing.

SuddenImpact

Doubt those USL results will be all that comforting after the Cosmos humiliate ManCity-USA.

Coach Bob

The economy sucks in PR. Citizens want to come stateside. Politicians are constipated by their own inaction and from being a commonwealth. Save your money Melo